The Saga of the Auralen Twins
by Manwaithiel
Summary: No one knows why Itachi hates his clan...no one that is except his twin sister, Uchiha Kari. Together and apart, their actions will shake the shinobi world and one of them will make the greatest sacrifice for the ones they love.
1. Uchiha Kari

Years before Sasuke Uchiha was born, his mother gave birth to twins, Kari and Itachi. For reaons unknown to anyone except for the Heads of the Uchiha clan and their parents, the twins were separated when they were five years old, just a few months before Sasuke's birth, and were to never see each other again.

The wind was chillier this time of year. Kari had been perfecting a new ninjutsu for the past four weeks. For the moment, she was resting on a small rock in an infinitely wide field dotted with white daises against the green landscape. She pushed her jet black hair away from her ebony eyes and hastily brushed away a tear. She thought back to a memory she had of Itachi. They had been playing on the pier of their pond. Itachi had been making shapes in the water with various chakra techniques, anxious to delight Kari. No matter what Itachi had thought of his parents or the clan heads, he had always loved his sister dearly, had always been very protective, had always made sure she was safe.

That particular day, Kari had been disturbed by something she overheard her parents saying.

_"They want to separate us Itachi...the clan heads, not our parents...they say we're too dangerous to stay together."_

_"They're ignorant, Kari. Why would they do that? What have we done to them? Is it our fault we were born the way we were?"_

_"Of course not, Itachi, but they're scared anyway. I'm scared too. What if we never see each other again?"_

_"It's not going to happen Kari...really...it's not...Look, I'm making a swan for you. You love swans...it's even flapping its wings."_

Three days later, Kari was dragged away from Itachi, never to see him again. Both children cried and begged. Their father was in tears and their mother was bawling, but the clan heads would hear none of it. Kari would not come in contact with her brother for eleven years.

It had been a horrible adjustment. Separating from a sibling was hard enough, but separating from a twin was ten times worse. The transition had made Kari ill, near death at points, and very fragile for almost a year. Shortly after her recovery, she was training vigorously, in the ninja art that only two people in the whole world had the potential to master or even use: her and Itachi.

She had been told to live with a different clan in Konoha, but she refused outright and lived by herself in a small cabin near the field she was now sitting in. She seldom showed herself in Konoha. Since Itachi had left, it was easier for her to move around without breaking the rule of her relations with Itachi, but she still never came there openly. Kari came to Konoha covertly for one reason and one reason alone. Her self-made mission of protecting and helping her little brother from afar.

Kari had learned the truth about her birth, her strange power, and her separation from Itachi when she was ten years old. Desperate for answers and armed with powerful genjutsu, she stole away to the home of the Uchiha clan head. She did this for many nights until he began talking to another Uchiha about the twins' schism.

_You may ask why it was necessary, Uruki. The answer is simply. Kari and Itachi are not normal twins. They are Auralens. They are a special breed of ninja that are seen once every millenia or so and who always come in sets of twins. The last Auralens were born about 1500 years ago. You may now ask what an Auralen is. An Auralen is a ninja that can master the control of the very light we see. Not necessarily how it shines, but how it reflects and refracts. This makes for a powerful genjutsu. It also creates attacks that can destroy and wound exponentially. Can you imagine a ninja with control of the light waves you use to see objects? You would never know if you were actually seeing an object or an illusion or if the object you were seeing was actually in the place you thought it was. Plus, there is a substantial amout of power in light waves and when concentrated, they are fast and lethal. Wars were started from the actions of previous Auralens. Massacres. Holocausts. It was almost thought that there would never be another pair. But we were quickly proved wrong by those two. It was odd that they should be so powerful at such a young age. Our suspicions were not high until Kari bent a beam of light reflecting off a mirror with a wave of her hand. I witnessed this personally and immediately thought of the legend. It became obvious we were correct. I made the decision to separate them to keep them from becoming the power hungry shinobis of the past. It was hard to do...especially when I saw their faces...but what else could I do Uruki?_

Kari had been stunned. She ran back to her home so quickly, she didn't remember the trip back. Bursting in the door, Kari flung herself on her bed and cried. She was miserable about everything and now, more than ever, she wanted to see Itachi.

A few years later, Kari would learn that Itachi had killed everyone in the clan except his brother and fled Konoha.

Kari shook herself, stood up, and stretched her arms. She looked across the field and thought the colors were duller than usual.

So many memories...

Kari enacted her Sharingan, which was quite a bit more advanced than any other Uchiha's she had ever known. She raised both hands to create a seal she had made herself: the swan. Kari bent several light beams to form the image of swan's wings behind her and with a swish of those wings exactly one petal from every daisy was sliced off within a fraction of a second. Perfect. This attack was percise to a nanometer and faster than a blink of an eye. Plus it could attack several things at the same time. Satisifed, Kari walked towards Konoha's metropolis.

Turning on her heel, Kari looked back just once to see many naked daisy centers and petals strewn about the grass. Then she turned back and continued walking. She had some business to take care of...

**Author's Note:**

**Ok, so y'all are probably wondering where the heck the story went and where its sequel is and stuff.**

**Well don't worry, I'll repost it again. But I was really hating how the sequel was coming along. I also don't think enough people read this one to justify a sequel. So I'll be reposting this story chapter by chapter.**

**For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. This does not apply.**

**Manwaithiel**


	2. The Meeting

Years ago, when Sasuke discovered his brother's horrific doings, he spent the night in the hospital reovering from the effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan. At one point, he was sitting on the pier where he had learned the Katon technique. Diving into the water, he made a terrible vow of vengeance.

Sasuke resurfaced and started, surprised to see a girl of about fifteen or so standing in front of him. Her eyes were the color of jet and her hair, unbound and feely flowing, matched their hue. She was gazing at Sasuke with a solid determination, but behind that there was an infinitely sad expression.

_Who are you?_ Sasuke demanded.

The girl turned away and said nothing.

Sasuke grew impatient. _What are you doing here? You're trespassing...a lot of people just died here! What do you-_ But he stopped short.

A small tear had formed in the girl's eye and traced down her cheek. Turning her head back she took a breath and shuddered.

_Sasuke...don't you recognize anything about me at all?_

The boy was angry now. _I have no idea who you are! Tell me now or leave! _

Kari knelt down and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. Somehow, Sasuke was disinclined to push them off, but only gazed intently into those eyes...

Those eyes! His eyes! They were...Uchiha eyes...like his mother's...

Like Itachi's!

The boy was shaking now. _Please...who are you?_ he gasped.

Kari stood up again and said quietly, _My name is Kari and until now, I was never allowed to speak to you. But seeing as Itachi is gone...there is no reason to hide myself from you anymore._ She shuddered again. _I know that many have died, Sasuke. They were my parents too. My mother. My father. The only one I was able to save was you by convincing my twin brother that you could be useful to him..._

Sasuke bolted upright. _You're twin...brother? But Itachi didn't have a twin. He was my older brother. I never had a sister..._

_None that you were aware of to be sure. I was taken away from your family when I was about five. Itachi and I were twins. We were separated because the clan feared our power combined. We were both well-advanced for our ages and that concerned them. I was never allowed to see you. But I was always near you, Sasuke, protecting you from afar. Last night was my hardest task...convincing Itachi not to kill you._

Sasuke stared. It couldn't be. It was impossible. He had a sister...and Itachi had a twin. But he suddenly reflected on a memory. His mother had been looking at a picture of a young girl that looked a great deal like Itachi. She had been crying. When he inquired about it, his mom grew angry and told him never to speak about it again. The girl was astoundingly similar to the one standing in front of him.

_Were you the reason Itachi was always so angry?_

Kari nodded. _It was hard on both of us. But while I eventually forgave the clan heads, Itachi never could. He grew wrathful and rebellious. Learning about the Mangekyou made things worse._ Kari sat on the edge of the pier and was joined by Sasuke. _Last night, I didn't catch wind of what he was doing until he had already killed our parents. I got to him a few minutes before you arrived. I cried and asked him why he had done it. He said it was to bring us back together and told me to come with him. I refused and then I asked him what he would do with you. He simply stated he would kill you like the rest. I begged him not to, then told him that you could be just as powerful someday and that would be useful to him. Of course, I had no idea, I simply wanted him to let you live. He considered for a moment and then said he would spare you only if I left the two of you alone. I did...for the most part. I watched everything from the edge of the farthest house and had an attack ready in case he should try anything. When he sent you to a dellusionary state and continued to torture you, I jumped in. I quickly stopped the dellusions with a technique I had developed and unleashed my attack. Itachi left...more from boredom than from being afraid of me. But he had left and you were safe_.

Kari gazed at Sasuke and shook her head. _I wanted to follow him and finish it off. But I was afraid for your safety. I decided that you were worth more than he was._

Sasuke was crying at this point. He let his head slip into Kari's lap and Kari stroked his hair gently. _I'm going to protect you from now on Sasuke..._

Kari entered Konoha and headed for the Hokage's mansion. _Yes, I swore to protect you. But now you've been poisoned by Orochimaru. You've allowed him to take over your body and thoughts. Now, you will force me to go after you...and drag you back against your will. And if that is the cost, then so be it._


	3. Kari's Ultimatum

Kari walked up the winding stairs towards Tsunade's office. _I'm doing this with or without her permission. I must do it._ She opened the door and let herself in without ceremony.

"Kari...I can only guess as to why you are here." Tsunade folded her hands in her usual manner and gazed over them toward Kari. "Because of Sasuke?"

The girl nodded. "I'm going after him Tsunade-sama. You must know that I'm the only one who can really help him."

"Kari that is a most dangerous mission. You are one of our best shinbois and - "

"And I'm useful to everyone and all that I know! You banish the powerful ones from each other and then you ask for their help nicely when you need that power that you feared so much!"

Tsunade waited patiently for Kari to regain her compusure. "Kari...I'm sure you know that I was not Hokage when that decision was made? Nor was it Sarutobi's doing. It was the Uchiha clan head. We knew nothing of the existence of Auralen twins until much later when it was too late to interfere. If I HAD been the Hokage and I was privy to the situation I assure you...you would not have been separated."

Kari's eyes were wet. "I need to go after Sasuke, Tsunade-sama. He is the only family I have left. I swore to protect him since the day he was born and I have done so up until now. I'd rather die than sit here and wait for things to turn out. I have the one thing that can save him!"

The Fifth nodded. "I suppose you perfected that technique, Kari?"

"It was the first technique I perfected after learning what power I was granted as an Auralen. I'm leaving Konoha in five minutes with or without your blessing. I know where Orochimaru dwells and I know what I must do."

"Tell me, Kari. Will your journey include any side trips to your twin brother?"

Kari's blood ran cold. She knew she could not have hidden the fact, but she would have preferred that the Fifth had not mentioned it. "Yes," she said defiantly, "It will. There is some business between the two of us that I must see to."

"Do you plan on defeating him or returning him to his original state of mind?"

Kari was growing impatient now. "The second if it is successful the first if the second is not. Now I am leaving and I await your thoughts. I almost did not come at all, but I believed that you of all people would understand my reasoning."

Tsunade sighed. "There is certainly no way of preventing you. You have my leave and blessing for this mission. But Kari..."

Kari was already heading towards the door. She stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"Come back alive. With or without Uchiha Sasuke."

Kari shook her head sadly, slipped out of the room, and softly closed the door.

_That is not possible, Tsunade-sama. I am bound by my promise._


	4. The First Power of an Auralen

_I am an Auralen...I have the tremendous power to heal...and I have an even greater power to destroy._

Kari mulled over these thoughts as she walked away from Konoha. She had been studying the archives, learning everything she possibly could about Auralens. As the clan head had said, they had a dangerous and violent past. The most violent wars of ancient times had been because of conflicts between the twins born before Kari and Itachi.

_It seems,_ one book read, _that Auralen twins are almost always in conflict with each other. They have a natural tendency to grow in opposite directions from their partner. Auralens are feared more from the conflict they present than from their great power._

_An Auralen has two major advantages in their power over light. The first is the ability to heal almost any wound or curse. They are able to manipulate photons to perform microscopic surgical operations that normal chakra users cannot attempt. This is especially useful for flesh wounds, punctures, and cursed seals or other markings resulting from a ninjutsu. _

_The second advantage is that these ninjas are able to create powerful ninjutsus because of their mastery of the fastest and most uncontrollable particles in the universe. Most of the ninjutsus are results of maniuplating light beams with chakra by controlling every individual photon in the beam. It takes a percision and intensity of chakra control that most shinobi never achieve. It is obvious that one can never become an Auralen, but must be born one. Certain readings in an Auralen's DNA give them the control over photons they need and even allow them to see these particles. The ideal parental match to create an Auralen is usually a parent with a special bloodline limit of the eyes and another with a bloodline limit of any sort of power within the skin cells. The latter is needed for the Auralen's stunning ability to actually collect photons and release them at will. It is very similar to collecting chakra and releasing it when needed. However, it is not always necessary to have this pedigree as several Auralens have been documented as simply having two parents with superior power in the eyes._

_Probably the most fascinating thing about an Auralen is this: it is not merely the light beams they are manipulating that give them power, but their ability to blend chakra and photons into an energy source more powerful than the results of nuclear fission. Without percise control of this energy, an Auralen can end up killing themselves in their attempt to use a ninjutsu._

Kari had absorbed these facts like a sponge. She was fascinated by it all, but her mind was set upon the last words: that without absolute control over this power she had, she might die. She slowly lowered the book and looked ahead of her blankly. _I might die..._ The thought was morbid and terrifying.

The girl entered her house and sat down. There was no one to train her in the arts of an Auralen. Everything she did would be self-taught and would be at great risk of her own life. But she had a little brother now. Itachi seemed completely uninterested in taking care of him. He had changed so much...now it was her duty to protect Sasuke. The only way for her to do it was to proceed and hope for the best.

Kari decided to start with the healing arts of an Auralen. It would probably give her the best training in chakra and photon control so that when she moved to offensive ninjutsu, she would be working with more solid ground.

She spent weeks learning how to absorb photons in layers of chakra around her body. She did exercises to build up her chakra stamina and endurance to ensure she would not lose control of the photons. When she would reach her limits of control, Kari would stand over pans of water and create needle-thin incisions into the water with carefully controlled photons. She would practice piercing different places on the water's surface and gradually made the incisions smaller and smaller as her control grew stronger. Kari then learned to use her Sharingan to see the surface she was piercing as she performed this surgery. She learned how to move her colums of photons and how to make them different lenghts as she moved them. Finally, Kari practiced using several photon columns at the same time.

After six months of work, her surgical technique was complete. She tested it on herself when she fell and scraped her thigh badly on a rock. Using her technique, she placed tiny skin grafts over the worst areas and concentrated her own chakra there several times a day. The wound healed in about two days.

Kari then learned how to perform more major surgeries, such as broken bones and open vital organs. She used the power of her own chakra combined with the percision of her photon based laser colums to repair damages done to the human body. Kari practiced on animals and saved several injured creatures she would find in her wooded backyard.

Kari studied the healing arts for two years and gained the perfect chakra control over light beams and their photons.

Now, years later, as she was preparing to leave Konoha and find Sasuke, she knew that those years spent on the healing side of an Auralen's power would be her best weapon when bringing Sasuke home.


	5. Opposites Attract

"Nooooooo!"

The piercing shriek filled the still night of Uchiha Sasuke's room. His door banged open as Kari stormed in and threw herself down to Sasuke's mattress.

"What happend, what's wrong?" Her eyes were filled with terror at having been awakened by that unearthly scream.

Sasuke sat up straight as a board and gripped Kari's wrist so hard it hurt.

"Why didn't you kill him? Why isn't he dead? If you're so powerful how come he isn't dead, Kari?"

Sasuke's hand shook, shaking Kari's arm with it. His breathing was coming very fast and silent tears were pouring down his cheeks.

"Every night, it's the same. That Sharingan, those horrible images. Those kaliedoscope eyes. I can't take it anymore Kari! Why didn't you kill him?"

Kari looked at her brother's fragile body shaking so hard it was alarming. Her eyes were tender, though there appeared to be a spark of anger in them, and the fear was slowly slipping away. Sasuke never released her wrist.

"It curses me, Kari. It haunts me! He's a phantom. Every step I take, every breath I breathe has some of him in it. It is driving me mad!" The boy raised his eyes to face his sister's. "Kari...why didn't you kill him?"

The question was a hard one. How could she tell him that as much as she despised Itachi, he was still her brother? That she still remembered how he had been before this corruption and how it was almost impossible for her to kill him. It wasn't that she couldn't kill him that night. No, she was a full-fledged Auralen at that point, one so advanced she was already creating several new jutsus.

She was far more powerful than Itachi, and Itachi knew it.

Kari turned away. The darkness veiled her eyes for a moment and Sasuke could see the sparkle of a single tear slipping down that pale cheek.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it, Sasuke. I told you that Itachi was bored with me when he fled...but that wasn't true. He knew I had him. He knew with one more attack I would have finished it. I had severely damaged all the tenketsus which he did not think possible. My Sharingan was as advanced as Neji's Byakugan and I was able to pinpoint my attacks. He was quite wounded, and I...I let him escape. Yes, I let him escape. I saw for just a fleeting moment the little boy who made swans for me in our pond and I could _not_ kill him, Sasuke." Kari turned to face her brother and he could see traces of anger in her face. "How dare you lecture me about the suffering of his memory or the phantoms he leaves in your dreams! Do you think that I have not had those dreams every night since the day we were forced to separate? Do you think that I have not realized the pain that his eyes impress on a person? Right after I left you after our first meeting, he came back for one day. For one day he forced me under his eyes and said that if I escaped, which I was quite able to do, he would kill you and anybody else he could find. I suffered under those eyes for a whole day which he stretched to feel like years upon years. I was paralyzed for weeks, unable to train, which left my body so weakened it took a month to heal. I did not struggle once for fear of your safety. I let him nearly kill me when I was pefectly capable of attacking him. But he had an accomplice at that point and I knew that I would be taking a great risk for your life. How-how _can_ you talk to me as if I have not suffered at all at the hands of Uchiha Itachi?"

Kari's eyes softened for a moment and she lowered her eyes to the ground. "I know the pain of it, Sasuke. I did my best to protect you from Itachi. I was more interested in your life than the death of his. I knew the day would come when I would be able to deal with him. I knew the best idea was to wait, lest I take a great gamble with your existence. I will face him when the time comes, Sasuke. But please don't criticize me for not dealing with him that night. I wanted to, and in a moment of weakness, I failed. But if you were in my place, little brother...well, you might have done likewise."

Sasuke stared at his sister and finally grasped all that she had sacrificed and done for him. His cold words seemed so empty of meaning now, and he could see the hurt they had etched into Kari's heart. He released her wrist gently and took both of her hands into his own.

"I-I didn't know...I'm sorry, Kari...I didn't fully understand..."

Kari shook her head. "I was trying not to make you understand. But I see that it would be best to tell you all that happened. I just didn't want you to live with the pain of such memories as I have."

Sasuke nodded. "I know that...but you shouldn't have to deal with them all alone. I would like to help you too. But Kari?"

Kari raised her eyes, tilting her head to accept his question.

"Why is Itachi so far beneath your level if you're both Auralens?"

"I thought you would ask that at one point. It is documented that Auralens usually grow opposite of each other. They cause such problems because it's two extremely powerful beings clashing constantly. While I trained in the ways of an Auralen and the jutsus that include that, Itachi rejected his bloodline and resented being an Auralen because it was the cause of our separation and the beginning of all of his grief. He grew in dark ways, killing his best friend for the Mangekyou Sharingan and working to gain just as much power as an Auralen without wanting to be one." Kari shook her head. "It didn't work. He _is_ quite powerful because he is still, after all, an Auralen. But he works against his natural power and it hinders him. As long as he does that, I will probably excel farther than he will."

Kari closed her eyes and said, "No more questions tonight, little one. You need sleep. Maybe we'll talk more tomorrow morning."

Opening her eyes again, she found Sasuke already fast asleep...

**present time**

"It's been a long time, Kari. I was wondering when you would finally screw up the nerve to find and face me."

Itachi smirked unconcernedly at the figure in front of him. Kari said nothing, but met his look with a steady gaze.

"Tell me, Kari. How long did you protect the boy from himself before he finally gave in to his lust for power?"

Kari's eyes flashed with a black fire of rage. "Tell me, Itachi. How long did you fight against your natural powers before you realized that you could never defeat me the way you are?"

"I know you didn't come here to fight Kari, so no sparring words if you please." Itachi's eyes narrowed, "If you wish to blame anyone, blame the long-dead clan head for his decision. It would be quite a different picture if it wasn't for him."

Kari hung her head sadly. She seemed to speak to no one in particular. "Where is _my_ Itachi? Not here, not standing in front of me. This is some ghost of the real one who goes around masquerading as Uchiha Itachi." Her eyes met his. "I don't believe you're completely gone. Not yet. You wouldn't have spared Sasuke so long if you didn't have something of the you I always knew. Before you turned into a murderer."

"They recieved what they deserved, Kari. Why can't you accept that? Why do you scorn me? I did everything because I wanted my twin sister back and you shunned me like some leper or dead thing! Everything I did, Kari, was for you!"

Kari shook her head. "You did nothing for me Itachi. It was all for yourself. You say it was for me so that you yet again have someone else to blame. I did not cause any of this. You broke my heart and Sasuke's, killed our family, and you expect me to run to you thanking you for your kindness! Is that what you wanted Itachi?"

Kari was enraged now. Her eyes were filled with the fiery Sharingan and she could see every little detail of Itachi's facial expressions. No remorse, no hesitations. Had he really become the cold-blooded animal she had just accused him of being?

Itachi chuckled with laughter. "You want to save me from myself, you poor, naive little thing, don't you? You want to help me. Well, I will scorn your help just as you scorned mine. And I will kill you if you try to talk me out of this "madness" any longer and - "

He didn't finish his sentence. In a moment, Itachi was sprawled on the ground with a terrible pain at several pressure points along his body. His angry eyes flashed at Kari. It was indeed the same technique she had been practicing on the poor daises a few days beforehand. This time, Kari smirked at her work.

"You will _never_ be able to kill me, Uchiha Itachi."


	6. The Showdown that Killed an Uchiha

_"Kari..."_

_Kari was walking away, getting farther and farther from her brother, her back became a dot that disappeared into the darkness._

_"Kari! Come back!"_

_No response. Itachi screamed her name again. "KARI!"_

Itachi awoke with a start. It was a few hours before sunrise. The seven-year-old was exhausted, this being his third night in a row of the same nightmare. It always woke him up and left him unable to sleep again.

The boy punched his pillow. All tears that he had had dried up a year ago and now there was nothing but emptiness and rage. _She's never coming back, she's never coming back, she's never...coming back._ All his thoughts were centered around this idea. The fact that loomed over everything he did. Kari was not to be a part of his life anymore.

Itachi turned to see the little boy beside him sleeping soundly. _As usual, he is uninterestedly sleeping through it all. He has no phantoms to haunt his sleep, no memory of a sister to miss._

"Now that he has a little brother, maybe he won't miss Kari so much." Itachi had overheard his mother saying that to his father one night after Sasuke was born. It had enraged the boy beyond reason. _Fat chance of that!_ he hissed.

Itachi had turned and placed his hand over his heart. He felt the steady pulsing of it and knew that somewhere else, Kari's was beating in percise unison.

"I will never stop missing you, caring about you, thinking about you, Uchiha Kari. You cannot escape from me that easily, sister. They want me to forget, but I swear it will never happen. I will always be protecting you. I swear on my own life that I will never stop loving you and I swear to make the ones that separated us pay...with their own lives."

This dreadful oath taken, Itachi headed towards a field. Training needed to be done. With that promise boiling in his veins, he turned down a horrible path of darkness and became one of the most feared shinobi in history.

**present time**

Itachi opened his eyes. Kari was still standing over him, waiting for him to respond. _Her attack was enormous...her strength is trebled what it was when I saw her last._

He had sworn to protect his sister. He had broken his own promise. He had torn out his own heart, coveting greater power and lusting for the revenge against the clan he hated.

He had threatened to kill her. Kari's cold words echoed like a broken record. _You will never be able to kill me, Uchiha Itachi_. Indeed, he wondered if he really could. She was the most powerful shinboi living. He could feel power and energy flowing from every pore in her body.

Kari stepped backward and an ugly torrent began. "It is your fault Sasuke is trapped in this darkness of Orochimaru's, Itachi. I can't forgive you for it. I pormised to save him, to protect him. _You_ should have been there Itachi. _You_ should have helped him, trained him, protected him. You did nothing for him. You've sentenced him to death out of anger for something that he had nothing to do with."

A thought occured to Itachi. _And I promised to protect you too, Kari, but I can't keep promises very well it seems..._

"Why, Itachi! Why are you going to make me kill you? Unless you're gone, Sasuke will be haunted forever by you. You're a phantom in his dreams, you're killing him a little bit every day. The memories of you before your murderous rampage hurt him more than any pain you inflicted upon him with your eyes."

_Phantoms in his dreams, haunting memories...just like you, Kari. You haunted my dreams, you tortured me with your memories. But I didn't blame you, sister..._

"All he ever wanted was his brother and his brother's approval. Why couldn't you have been that for him? Why couldn't you have forgotten about yourself for just one moment to realize what a wonderful child he really is. Instead you've poisoned him in the worst way and I have to protect him because you won't!"

_And I wanted my sister, I needed my sister. But you couldn't be there. I could have been there for Sasuke. But the pain was too horrible, someone else needed to suffer it. I wanted another Uchiha to go through that pain. I had the perfect opportunity when Sasuke was born._

Kari's eyes watered and she was screaming now. "I needed my brother to protect my little brother when I couldn't be there to directly intervene. But you broke him to pieces and as much as I tried to heal those wounds, the scars of them stung worse. Sasuke is almost completely gone!"

Itachi suddely rose to face Kari. She was silent now, her raven hair blowing all about her face, her obsidian eyes shone with the anger and hurt he had caused.

Her hands rose and formed a seal Itachi had never seen before. Her swan. A pair of brilliantly colored swan's wings seemed to sprout from her back, her hair was blowing upward as she molded chakra and photons into the most powerful energy source in the universe. As Kari raised her eyes, he could see a crimson red Sharingan shining in place of the angry ebony. Itachi braced himself for an attack. It was over now, he was no match for this. His sister had exceeded him in every possible way. She took a few steps towards him.

For several moments nothing happened. Then a pair of cool hands were laid gently on either side of his head.

Then he heard her scream. It was a terrible, unearthly, ghostly scream of the most horrid pain. His eyes popped open and he saw his sister, her face inches from his, eyes clenched shut, every muscle moving spasmodically, as she let out another scream.

Itachi suddenly felt the strangest sensation in the world.

Every bad memory he had of the clan, every ounce of anger he had felt, every horrible thing he had done and been proud of...it was all replaced by the most pleasant memories of him and Kari. The memory of killing his best friend, of punching Sasuke in the stomach, that too was fading away and instead showed Sasuke smiling and laughing while he watched his brother training in all the ninja arts. Then he felt a burning sensation between his head and Kari's hands. The pain grew worse and just when he thought he could not take it anymore Kari released him and stumbled backwards. Her breathing was heavy and irregular and her hands were blackened.

What had she done?

Itachi stood there too stunned to do anything. Kari raised her eyes and looked at him. "The Mangekyou stems from pure hate...try...try to use it...now..."

The boy raised his eyebrows a little bit and enacted his Sharingan...or tried to.

It failed.

He stared at Kari. "What did you do...?"

Kari smiled weakly and held out her hands. The burn marks on them had taken the shape of the Mangekyou. Her face was contorted with pain and all at once Itachi understood.

Kari had stolen away all of his pain and hate. He could no longer use such a power. The girl closed her eyes and let her mind wander back...

_Two special powers of an Auralen are these_, the book had read, _that they are able to absorb pain, both physical and psychological, from others and that they are able to heal mental stresses with a comibnation of their special chakra and love for that person. Auralens are much more powerful as healers than as fighters though the extent of that power is untested since no Auralen has ever taken the medic-nin road. These mysterious powers of an Auralen mostly stem from legend and have not been proved as true. The power is completely unexplainable but some believe that photons actually perform surgery on the brain while others side with the idea that love can manifest itself as a more concrete object of healing. No one really knows..._

Itachi was staring at his sister. "Kari...where is that pain now?"

Kari looked at her hands. "With me, Itachi...sealed away in my own soul."

"Does it hurt?"

The girl looked him in the eye and nodded slowly. "It hurts quite a bit."

Itachi's eyes, for the first time in eleven years, filled with tears. He came up to his sister and hugged her as tightly as possible.

"I'm so sorry, Kari..."

Kari pulled away and looked at him. Her eyes were shining with tears of both sorrow and joy. A small smile played across her lips.

"I killed an Uchiha...I guess I'm just as bad as you are now..."

Itachi looked at her and understood immediately what she had meant when she demanded why he was forcing her to kill him. There were many Itachi's. She was simply killing one. But that death had come at a terrible cost to the girl standing in front of him.

"Sasuke can heal now, Itachi. I want you to help me get him back..."

The boy picked up his sister, smiling, and said "You're pretty good if you killed an Uchiha."

"Well...I haven't killed her yet."

Itachi stopped cold. His eyes filled with fear and sudden realization. "No...that's not possible...Kari! Tell me your lying..."

She shook her head. "The only way to heal Sasuke is to have you back to how you are supposed to be. You must save him now. _You_ alone have that power. My life was necessary for it."

Itachi was crying now. "How long...Kari?"

"It's a matter of minutes. That technique requires complete inhibition from the flow of the chakra. That's why it hurt so much. It also destroys most of my tissues because the photons are able to run madly about my body without the percise control they need to prevent them from becoming lethal. There was no other way."

Kari coughed up some blood and Itachi set her down gently. "I'll stay with you."

"No. Go now. Sasuke needs you. If Orochimaru takes him over...it will be too late."

"But Kari -"

Kari shook her head. "Please go. If you don't make it, my sacrifice was in vain."

Itachi stared at her. After all this time...she was still the little girl he had loved dearly. Another tear coursed down his cheek.

"Tell Sasuke I love him." Kari looked at her brother with all the loving adoration she had had as a child.

"Good-bye Kari..."

Kari smiled and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved one last time before the breathing stopped.

Itachi rose and slowly walked away, his mind numb with sadness but determined to fulfill Kari's dying wish.

It had indeed proved to be a showdown that would kill an Uchiha.


	7. A Healing Touch

A new wind was blowing. The sky seemed to shift, as if a great change had come across the landscape of both mind and earth. The very grass seemed to sigh in relief over some great change in fortune.

Sasuke had suddenly started having frequent dreams about Kari and Itachi. Even as the boy woke up, he heard whispers just audible enough to understand and vague enough to be explained away. Since he had come into the company of Orochimaru, Sasuke never felt too inclined to think about his siblings-or anyone else for that matter. But it was nearly impossible not to. The memories came rushing back like a torrential storm, all of them unwanted and bothersome.

He kicked off the blanket and sat up staing out of his small window to a diamond sky. It was so peaceful and yet he was anything but tranquil. The seal _hurt_ like it had never hurt before. His eyes were often bloodshot from lack of sleep due to waking up constantly from the pain of his infamous scar. It was against his nature to embrace something so evil. He knew that even if he refused to admit the fact.

Suddenly, a searing pain sent him flying forward, coughing up blood and gagging. His face was contorted and his eyes bulged out. He heard screaming. Was it his? No, it was someone else's. A girl's screaming. Then a voice, shaking but calm. _The man you hated is gone, Sasuke..._

That voice...it was impossible.

The pain ebbed away and Sasuke looked again to his window. He almost screamed himself.

A black swan was flying by.

Sasuke leapt up so fast he knocked over a chair. He raced to the window and watched the swan slowly disappear into the darkness...

_"What's wrong, Sasuke?"_

_The little boy turned to face his sister. "Kari, I'm worried about going back to school. The kids there...they'll be talking about what happened...to our family..."_

_Kari walked over and cradled the boy in her arms. "Sasuke, I'm going to make a deal with you."_

_Sasuke looked up expectantly to his sister's ebony eyes._

_She met his gaze and grinned. "Just so you know I'm thinking about you, I'll send a white swan every day. It'll fly around your classroom windows until you see it and then it will fly off." She paused and frowned slightly. "And if something ever happens to me, you'll know because I will send you a black swan. You can then tell your sensei you must leave and I will try to send word to you. How about that?"_

_Sasuke smiled and nodded. "I hope you don't send any black swans..."_

_"It will probably never happen, Sasuke...but it never hurts to be safe."_

No...he had not forgotten his sister's promise.

Something had happened to her. She was in trouble, she was hurt. What could have happened? Kari was so powerful. There wasn't a shinobi living who could stand up to her. Not even Itachi. She couldn't be killed by someone else. But the fact that this was paired with that horrible pain and Kari's voice..._something_ had to be wrong.

Sasuke suddenly stopped. Why was he caring? He hadn't cared about a soul since that day he fought Naruto. _This is silly!_ he thought. _If she got herself into trouble, then it was her own fault._

Turning from the window, he collapsed on his bed and fell asleep...

_"Sasuke..."_

_Sasuke found himself sitting on his old front porch. He turned to see Kari walking towards him. _

_"Why do you keep coming, Kari? It's too late. I told Naruto that...why can't you all just accept the fact that I'm gone?"_

_Kari sat down and ruffled his hair. "I could kill the man who is possessing you right now...and yet you tell me to give up on you? Besides, this is just a dream." Sasuke was silent. "Itachi is coming, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke started. "What do you mean? What does he want?"_

_The girl rested her head in her hands. "He's coming to save you."_

_"Itachi? Saving me? What are you talking about?"_

_"I've saved Itachi, and it's his turn to save you. It's quite simple, Sasuke."_

_"But I hate him. I'll kill him if he comes here."_

_"You can try. But remember that he is an Auralen. It won't be as easy as you think, no matter what scars you allowed Orochimaru to tatoo you with."_

_Sasuke snapped his eyes to her in venemous anger, "How dare you! You should have gone and killed him yourself! Don't blame me-"_

_Suddenly Kari's hand whipped out and smacked Sasuke's cheek so hard he fell over. He laid there for a second, stunned._

_Kari looked at him with angry eyes. "It's nothing more than a dog leash, Uchiha Sasuke! He's simply channeling his power through your body. You really think you've gained anything? Real power doesn't just come after you've been bitten with some curse. Real power comes from hard work and practice. You understood that until a few months ago when you betrayed everyone who ever loved and cared about you including me!"_

_He found her hand pressed against his scar. A burning sensation swept from it throughout his entire body. He let out a cry of pain but she didn't release him until he had almost passed out. Finally, Kari removed her hand. _

_"I can only do so much from where I am, Sasuke. Itachi will be able to help you now. Please let him help..."_

Her voice faded away.

Sasuke bolted upright in bed sweating and wide-eyed. He felt his neck.

The scar was gone!

It was impossible! He tried to activate its power enhancing effects.

Nothing happened.

Sasuke let out a shriek of despair. It couldn't be...there was no way...

Just as the boy was about to panic, his door banged open.

A very familiar voice whispered, "Hello, Sasuke."


	8. Brother, O Brother

_"What if something does happen to you, Kari?" little Sasuke inquired?_

_Kari frowned slightly and looked down at her little brother. "No matter what happens, Sasuke...I'll find some way to show you that I'm alright...and that I'm with you no matter where you might be."_

Itachi stood at the door, wet-eyed and desperate. He had been weeping. Indeed, tears had been falling from his eyes the entire journey to Sasuke. But his little brother appeared unmoved and eyed him warily.

Rage was filling Sasuke. The very sight of his older brother gave rise to murderous hatred that he had rarely felt before so intensely. His Sharingan blazed in his eyes. The longer he looked at Itachi, the more the rage consumed him.

"Sasuke..." Itachi looked at his little brother with tired eyes. "You can fight me later...but we have to leave and we have to leave now. Orochimaru will be here any minute."

"I'm not a fool, Itachi. If this is some trap-"

"Shut up, Sasuke! I know you've seen Kari somehow. She sent word in some way. Do you even realize what's happened to her?" Itachi stepped toward him and Sasuke snapped to a defensive stance.

"Don't come near me you...you..."

_Smack_

Sasuke went sprawling. Before he even had time to react, Itachi had stepped forward and punched his brother square in the jaw. The boy reeled from the blow for a few minutes as Itachi screamed at him.

"She's dead...Oh God, Kari is dead! She died to save you, Sasuke, and why she did so for such a miserable, spoiled child is beyond me. Do you understand what I'm saying, little brother? She's _gone_."

"I don't believe you!" Sasuke screamed back jumping to his feet. "She can't be killed! She's too powerful. Even you were afraid of Kari, even you couldn't defeat her. Everyone feared her. Even Orochimaru..."

"Of course no one killed her! No one can kill that beautiful child! Kari died of her own accord, Sasuke. She saved my life with her own and charged me with finding you and bringing you back. Did you think I was stripped of the Mangekyou and all of my hate by pure accident? Kari...was the bravest, most powerful, and kindest Auralen in history. She used that power to heal me, not kill me as she very well could have done. And she did it all hoping that you would heal too if I returned to how I should have been." Sasuke was silent. Itachi continued. "You should be proud of having a sister like her. And you should honor her memory by coming back to Konoha as she wished. Do _you_ want her death to be in vain."

"I wished she had not been so stupid and just killed you! How could she forgive you? After all you've done to her and to me...to our family, it's unforgivable. I don't care that she's dead! I hope she suffered from such a foolish act." Sasuke's heart was breaking within him. He didn't mean anything that he said, but there was no way he was going to trust Itachi. He had gone too long hating him and old habits die hard.

Itachi was so enraged he half considered killing Sasuke himself. The only thing that stopped him was Kari's will that he should be brought back safely. Sucking in a breath he replied shakily, "What...what is it going to take, little brother? What must I do to convince you that I'm speaking the truth and that the best idea would be for you to come back as she wanted."

"I'll never come back. Especially not with you! I'll never-" but Sasuke froze in mortal terror and took a step back.

Puzzled, Itachi turned around...and remained rigid in place.

Orochimaru stepped into the room. He had a grin on his face but behind it you could see a horrible rage. "I thought I heard a lot of screaming in here. Sasuke-kun, what percisely is going on?"


	9. Even In Death

Itachi got over his surprise and met Orochimaru's horrid grin. The snake-like eyes sent cold shivers down his spine, but he refused to show _him_ that he was nervous.

"Uchiha Itachi? This _is_ a pleasant surprise." Orochimaru's words sliced the silence like a knife. The brothers never moved a muscle. "What percisely are you doing here? I would think you had no interest in this little one...considering he came to me for the simple reason that he wanted you dead."

Itachi glared at him. "Certain events have changed me quite a bit, Orochimaru. I'll be taking Sasuke back to where he belongs now."

"Oh feel free to do so, Itachi. However, he doesn't seem too pleased with the idea."

Itachi turned to look at his brother. Sasuke's anger had returned to fill his eyes. His pulse was racing with the idea of his revenge being nigh. He stepped toward Itachi.

"Yes, I want him dead." The words fell like iron to Itachi's ears.

"Even after Kari...gave her life...you won't change your mind...will you..." Itachi was choking down a sob. It couldn't be. Her final wish _had_ to be fulfilled. He would not survive...there was simply no way he could continue living without doing so.

"That's right, Sasuke-kun...allow your hatred to drive you to that which you have sworn to do." Orcohimaru goaded.

Itachi lowered his head. It was over. Everything was lost. He no longer had his sister, his brother hated him and would not be reasoned with. Tears filled his eyes again and now he sobbed uncontrollably.

"Kill me, Sasuke. Kill me and get it over with and then Orochimaru can have you as his vessel, just as he wanted. Then you'll both be happy. As for me, if I can't do what Kari wanted done, then I'll let myself be killed and join my beautiful sister."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment. _Kill him!_ something inside of him urged. But that voice that had always pushed him forward in his vengeful pursuit...it was no longer as strong, as demanding, or as appealing as it had been. He knew very well what Kari wanted. The fact that she had died for that purpose, the fact that the one person he had had left to love in the world was gone because of his recklessness, stripped him of all the satisfaction, real or imagined, he thought he would receive from Itachi's death.

Itachi raised his head and looked towards Sasuke. "What are you waiting for, Sasuke? If you want me dead so badly, then why aren't you acting?"

_He murdered our family, he tore my life apart, he's the reason Kari is dead. What are you waiting for?_ Sasuke's hands were shaking. He didn't know why it was suddenly so hard. The moment had come and found him paralyzed and frightened like a small child! He was an Uchiha for the love of all things sacred! What was _wrong_ with him?

It was very simple. Itachi was changed. Kari had healed his wounds and it was the most stunning blow she could have dealt Sasuke. Itachi was simply not the same man he was before. Sasuke hated the other one, the one Kari had killed. There was no one else for him to hate.

Sasuke had never been good at hating. Kari had always taught him how to love.

Dying for him had been her final act of doing so.

Orochimaru was slightly annoyed. "Sasuke-kun...he's standing _right there_. Are you going to kill him or not?"

Sasuke stood as if in a trance. _I can't kill him. Kari didn't want me to kill him. Kari died for him. There must be something about him that she saw worth saving. She was always a good judge of character._

The boy looked at his older brother who looked much perplexed. "I...don't want to kill you anymore. I forgive you...I can't hate you now, Itachi. I-"

He felt a hand pulling him back by the shoulder. Orochimaru was behind him, his eyes filled with rage.

"So, when the moment comes for you to show your power you shirk out of it, you miserable good for nothing Uchiha!" The man raised his hand as if to strike Sasuke, but was arrested by Itachi who had shook out of his shock and came at the right moment to free his little brother.

"Don't touch him!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare come near him again!"

Orochimaru laughed. "You're not powerful anymore. You've allowed that Uchiha wench to strip you of all your strength. You expect me to fear you?" Laughing, Orochimaru slammed Itachi into the wall and looked him square in the eye.

"You are going to die tonight. And when you are dead, your little brother will become my vessel and I will show his broken soul how to truly use his power. Not to waste it on forgiveness and mercy and other crap!" He quickly threw Itachi towards the opposite wall.

He never crashed into it.

Turning, Orochmiaru gasped in astonishment. A girl of about seventeen with ebony hair and eyes had caught the flying Itachi and, setting him down, stood in front of him protectively. She was transparent and ghost-like, and she never spoke a word. Itachi stared at her. "K-Kari...how did you...?" The girl turned and smiled sadly at him. She then walked over to the frozen Sasuke and knelt down to look him in the eye. They gazed into each other's eyes for several moments. Suddenly her eyes flashed and the boy appeared to be fainting. The ghost caught him in her arms and carried him to Itachi. She then turned once again to face the flabergasted Orochimaru.

The man quickly shook of his surprise and laughed confidently. "It appears you have a waif guarding you two Uchihas." He laughed again.

The girl frowned and formed a seal he had never seen before. It was the seal of the swan. A pair of familiar wings seemed to sprout from her back and filled in the entire room. The light grew so bright that Itachi shielded his eyes and turned to face the wall, holding Sasuke as close to him as possible. The light grew brighter and began to gain heat and a circular momentum. Then he heard Orochimaru's cries. They were pained cries. The kind he had never before uttered.

_"Even Orochimaru feared her..."_ Sasuke had said. It was true. The only shinobi, aside from Sarutobi, that the man had ever been mortally afraid of was Kari. She was a great Auralen and she proved her worth even in death.

Orochimaru felt his eyes burn away and his sight was quickly vanquished. He screamed more, but the ghost paid no heed and continued the assault. He felt his skin cooking underneath his clothing and slowly the light and heat ate away at his entire body until his very soul was laid bare. The girl ran forward, embraced it in her arms, sealed it into her hand and disappeared as the light began to fade. Finally, the light disappeared entirely.

The room was once again quiet and empty.

Itachi opened his eyes and looked around. No sign of Orochimaru or Kari. Sasuke still remained unconcious in his arms. Looking into his brother's face, he felt a tear slip down his cheek and watched it fall on Sasuke's eyelid.

She had come. Even in death, she had been there to save him and Sasuke. Kari had always been there for her brothers. He realized, painfully, that if not for his actions, Kari would still be alive and enjoying life with both of them.

Now all they had was each other.

Picking Sasuke up, Itachi walked slowly out of the room. It was time to take the prodigal home again to an uncertain fate, for both of them, in the village of their birth.


	10. Epilogue

Kari's ghost was never seen again by either Itachi or Sasuke...she is reported to have visited others in their time of need and is said to be a sort of guardian angel for Konoha. Make no mistake though, Uchiha Kari is gone and those who have lost her will mourn her still.

Uchiha Itachi exiled himself from Konoha after delivering his brother into the Hokage's care. No one is quite sure what happened to him...they do know he died about ten years after Kari's death. His burial ground is unknown.

Sasuke was granted clemency for his betrayal seeing as Orcohimaru was dead. He and Sakura ended up married and they have a daughter, Uchiha Aya.

Her story would prove more intriguing than her aunt's...

Stay tuned for the sequel: **In the Footsteps of an Auralen**

**Author's Note:**

**Ok, here's the deal. I have five chapters of the sequel written and I'm ready to start posting them. But I'd really like some feeback on this story so that I know y'all actually care somewhat about it and are maybe going to read this sequel. I'll post it anyway, no matter the response. I don't write for the praise, I write for myself. **

**But some constructive criticism is always appreciated to help me out...I get serious writer's block sometimes. I usually find inspiration in the thoughts of others...**

**BEWARE: THE SEQUEL IS SET TO BE FULL OF PAIN AND DEATH. IF YOU ARE LIGHT OF HEART I DON'T SUGGEST READING IT. THERE ARE NO HAPPY ENDINGS...if you are looking for one go read someone else's story.**

**Thank you...**

**Manwaithiel the Maia**


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